Tottenham Hotspur will battle local rivals Brentford on Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 Premier League season this weekend to open up the first full campaign under Roberto De Zerbi, and nothing less than a convincing, statement making victory will appease the fans and the manager against another one of Thomas Frank's old clubs.
On paper, Tottenham should be superior in almost every way, as they signed three blockbuster players in the summer transfer market at the behest of their new Italian coach: center back Jan Paul van Hecke and midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.
But conspicuously, Spurs still have not signed a single forward, and whereas Brentford have an impressive attacking group even after losing stars Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, and Yoane Wissa over the years, Tottenham may have nothing going for them this weekend.
Tottenham don't have the attacking quality
If Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison still are not healthy to start, the Lilywhites attacking quartet could very well be Conor Gallagher as the No. 10, Mathys Tel on the left wing, Dominic Solanke at striker, and then Richarlison trying to be a winger over on the right side.
Aside from Tel, none of those options are tantalizing, and Tel still has a lot to prove in the Premier League, even though he was the best player on Spurs during the preseason matches. Spurs don't have a single proven goal scorer in their lineup, and they still have not secured a summer transfer at the forward positions despite credible links to Cody Gakpo, Savinho, Victor Osimhen, Folarin Balogun, Nicolas Jackson, and Rafael Leao.
Tottenham have less than a week before they face Brentford in their 2026/27 Premier League season opener, and that is simply not enough time to sign and integrate a player into the lineup. And with how slow negotiations for Gakpo and Savinho have been to develop, Spurs fans are getting a bit less optimistic that the club will be able to land a great attacking player, which had been the problem throughout the Daniel Levy era.
Brentford's attack has the ability to score goals with Igor Thiago up top and can crush in transitions, but all Tottenham have for sure in the XI this weekend is Mathys Tel. He and Richarlison will be the main threats is Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison are not ready to start, and that's too much of a burden for those two to bear.
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